Lump consumption lg vs. med

Unknown

I forgot to ask another question I was wondering..... I've pretty much decided on the large egg. It's only me and my husband for most cooks but I do like to have company and I'm pretty sure that I would like having the extra room when needed but 90% of the time it will just be small cooks. Does the large egg use a lot more fuel than the medium? I don't want to be going through tons of fuel just so I can have the extra room on occassion.

Thanks so much for everyone who has answered my questions thus far. Just having you guys and this forum has convinced me that I want an egg over a Primo! You guys are the greatest. Hopefully someday I can be one of you who helps the newbies.

PJG

civil eggineer

I assume it would although I have a medium egg. Most cooks are for my wife and I so it has plenty of room for that. I can cook enough food for 6 people on a medium. I have also cooked 15 pounds of pork butt at a time. Cooking a large turkey is probably the biggest drawback having a medium compared to a large. I am not trying to change your selection just want to offer my experience as a medium egg user.

Unknown

Thanks for the reply. I really think the medium would work for us also but I just don't want to regret getting the smaller of the two. Have you ever wished that you bought the large? Can you vertically cook a small turkey? Can you put the dutch oven in yours?

The woman at the store said that you don't use anymore lump with the large but that just doesn't make sense to me! It would mostly be just the two of us using it and I would like it to be as efficient as possible, money doesn't grow on trees especially in this economy.

You are helping so much with this decision, I really appreciate it.

Pam

BamaFan

My neighbor bought the medium. I got the large. He is now wishing he had gone bigger.

"Sparky"

Hey trs,I have smoked a 20* turkey on my medium.The only problem was I couldn't use the vertical stand.I had to lay it down in the v-rack.I may have taken out the firering(I can't remember).I do not have a large,but I use my medium/small combo alot more than my XL.The XL uses way more lump than the other two eggs together.I believe the large is close to the medium as far as fuel goes.I'm sure it uses a little more,but nothing like the XL.I cooked on a medium for my small family of three for 6 months before I got my small.I got the small for side dishes and smaller cooks.I think that the small is my favorite of the three.No,the medium is :pinch: I don't know,I love them all :woohoo: :woohoo:

Unknown

Doug,

Hey what a set up!!!! Did you make it yourself? If yes, you should start selling them.

Did you ever regret getting the medium? I think it would be big enough for just my husband and I but I don't ever want to wish I had bought the large. But I'm sure the medium uses less fuel and I like the idea of that because most of the time it would just be for the two of us. A few more questions about the medium if you don't mind.

1. Can you cook a chicken vertically?
2. Can you fit a cast iron dutch oven in it?
3. I would like to make baked beans in mind. Can I use my traditional baked bean pot in the egg or would it break. It goes in the oven no problem?
4. If you had it to do again would you get the large?

Thank you so much!

PJG

"Sparky"

I do not regret the medium at all.This should answer your first ?



The medium can do alot of food.I only got the small because I got a BGE gift card for Christmas,and I thought it was more useful than the mini.I just got the XL a few weeks ago because I got a great deal on it used.Even with friends over,I can cook enough on the medium.I have done 6 slabs of babybacks,a 20* turkey and boston butt.The small comes in handy for doing different temp cooks or different smoke flavor.I have filled the medium with ribs and put chicken on the small.You could probably do this all in the large,but would have the same smoke flavor on both.I like to use all the wood flavors available to me,except mesquite. :blink:

"Sparky"

Oh BTW,here are a few more medium pics for ya















I hope that this helps you decide what you need.

Unknown

Doug,

With that set up do you ever want to go inside your house? It's amazing!

Do you know if the dutch oven that they sell as an extra will fit on the medium? Also how do you have your grate at different levels at different times? I know, I know......tons of questions (sorry)

You have now made me so hungry with your pictures! I want to eat at your house! Why don't I just buy this egg for you? ha ha

PJG

"Sparky"

I know a DO will fit.I'm just not sure what size.All those pics were from the same egg,I promise.I use a platesetter for indirect cooking.This lifts the cooking grid and keeps the fire from scorching the meat.I cook steaks directly over the fire at high temps.

"Sparky"

This is what a platesetter looks like.This is the new one for my small egg.You can see it a little better than the blackened one in the medium.It raises the cooking level and blocks the direct heat of the fire.

RRP

I realize I'm wading in on this thread kinda late, but we were at the same cross road 8 years ago...just us most times etc etc. The fine folks at that time convinced me to go for the large over the medium. Am I happy I did? You betcha! The lump consumption between a large and a med are close and no big deal. Now comparing a small or mini with an XL is another matter. The key is to forget the "handful of lump" lie and just fill the fore box up and snuff the fire when done. I egged a pizza tonight at 500 on my large using the left over lump that has already cooked 3 other meals.

Broc

I have a Medium and a Small -- love them both.

I thought, "All I need is to cook for wifey-poo and myself, and occasionally the kids will come over."

I usually do roasts [lotsa pork, tri-tip] and stuff like that when I have guests. It's easy to cook larger pieces of meat on the medium... hard to spread out lots of stuff side-by-side, as the grill is smaller.

But, on all of 'em you can use a grid extension... doubles your grill space, but it harder to get at stuff on the lower level.

OK -- That said --

I now do lots of cooks for large groups... 20, 30... 40... I've doe one cook for 75, and still another for 150. [Meat only. Others do sides for these large cooks].

Now, even That said --

I do wish I had a Large and a Medium combination. Better still, a L, M and Small!

But if I had a Large, I'd use it for big cooks, which we have all winter long, all summer long...

My wife and I seldom eat much. She is having gall bladder problems, and avoids meat. She thinks she's a rabbit.

And, I'm polite and starve by her side.

But all that's comin' to an end -- Y'Hear!

I goin' [t'morra'] t' the Big Sale at the local meat market, and I'm gettin' some primals -- and I'm goona butcher-'em up, freeze 'em -- and when I'm gonna eat meat, my wife can eat carrots and lettuce... rabbit food!

Otherwise, I'd be wasting my membership in P.E.T.A.

People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.

[Nope! That ain't original!]

====

All said and done, I;d like a Large-Medium combo. [Of course, I'd still keep the Small].

Pharmeggist

Hey,
My Mom and Dad have a Medium BGE and Love it they have had it for 3 going on 4 years..... my bachelor brother has a Medium egg love is too. I did a 121b turkey on a vertical roaster on my fAD'S mEDIUM bge at thanksgiving.

I have a Large, Small, & mini BGE I still do about 80% cooks on my Large I love home made pizza & CHicago deep dish I use a 15" x 2' pan on the large... I like the large for overnight cooks BOston Butts. If I could only have one egg it would be the Large.

However, I don't see how you could go wrong with a Medium Egg unless your needs change dramatically. I don't worry about Lump price b/c I use royal Oak Lump I buy at wally world and Cowboy brand lump I buy at Lowes. Besides I don't eat out that much anymore when I can have awesome food at home as you will soon see.

Hope this helps, PHarmeggist

Grandpas Grub

PJG,

I started off with a large and used it only for a long time, then the medium and just reciently the small. I will most likely get a mini also.

95% of the time there is just the wife and I. Once a month we have a total of 25, 13 of which are 12 and under. The large will cook for all of us easily.

The other eggs will allow me to cook at different temps and or different flavor smoking woods.

I was just going to jump in and say the medium uses less lump, after reading RRP & Broc's posts I got to thinking a little more. Of course the large will hold more lump than the others. But when I cook on the large I am most always cooking fomr 3 to 6 cooks on that initial load unless I am doing long cooks.

I am careful when I get through cooking. I close down the bottom vent and at first I put some tinfoil over the dome and then the green cap over that to snuff out the fire. Since then I picked up some extra gasket material and cut it in half. I put a ring of felt around the inside of the green dome.

Now when I shut down the egg the lump goes out quickly. I will just stir the lump to get the ash out into the bottom of the egg and then light up for the next cook.

Since getting the small I haven't used the large at all. Most of the time I use the small and once in a while the medium.

With that said I don't think I would ever get rid of the large. Right now I can't say which I would choose over the medium or small for a second egg.

If money is not a problem I would suggest getting a large with plans to get a medium or small in the future if you feel you need it.

Between the medium and small for a first egg I think I would get the medium.

Yes, a Dutch Oven will fit on all three eggs. You will just need to get the right size oven. I love DO pot roast, stews, soups and the funny thing is I have never cooked beans on the egg. We very seldom use the oven or stove.

It does seem odd cooking for two on a large. If you get a medium you can not cook more food than that size will hold. On the large you can always cook less food.

As Broc said he has cooked for very large groups on his medium.

I am not sure if all that is going to make your decision easier or not.

GG

blown 87

Maybe I need to start a new thread instead of hijacking this one, but how much more lump does the XL use?

I would think that due to the thermal mass it would be more, how much more is the question.

Greg Nettles

"Sparky"

Hey Greg,I'm not sure how much more lump the XL uses,but it seems like alot.It takes almost 10 pounds of lump to fill it up from empty.I am just used to throwing a handful or two of lump on the other eggs to top them off.I use a small shovel to top off the XL.I have not used the XL enouph to know how much more lump it uses,but it is more than a couple of handfuls.I like having the grill space of the XL,but I havn't needed it yet.I think it will come in handy during football season :woohoo:

Michael B

No, the large does not use noticeably more lump than the medium.
Because of the larger capacity of its fire box, the large will go a lot longer on a load of lump. (Think brisket.)

I started with a medium and acquired a bad case of buyer’s regret.

Fortunately! I lived about a mile from BGE HQ, and when I was in picking up a few other items, I said as much. I was told that they were going to be putting a third BGE out front for demos, and that they could use mine as easily as a new one. One year after I purchased it, they offered me my full purchase price against a new large Egg!

That was 20 years ago, and I have never wished I had kept the medium, nor considered buying one. To me, the medium has all the disadvantages of the small AND the large, with none of the advantages of either.

Oledog

I do not think you would see much of a difference in the two sizes. As soon as you are done with the cook; shut the egg down.

Bottom vent closed and the ceramic green top; you shoild be able to use the same batch of lump for several cooks unless you are doing a "low and slow" cook for hours.

You will never go back to another grill / smoker!!

Oledog